Can’t remember the last time I had such a long break: Sindhu

Reigning badminton world champion PV Sindhu said that she was mentally prepared to hear news of the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics before the International Olympic Committee made it official.

The unprecedented postponement was announced on March 25 but Sindhu said she was already doubtful before that of whether the Olympics would go through because of the rate at which the coronavirus pandemic was spreading.

“I was fine and prepared when I got to know about the Olympics being postponed. I was anyway not sure if the Olympics would happen this year because every other day a new country was getting affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. In these circumstances, you couldn’t have done anything else. Life comes first,” Sindhu told Hindustan Times.

Sindhu and the rest of the Indian badminton players last played at the All England Championships before the Badminton World Federation announced that all future tournaments stand suspended. Sindhu said that the situation was not as dire as it is now when they were going to the United Kingdom for the tournament.

“But it all changed once we came back. The numbers increased, the situation became worse and now I can’t remember the last time I took such a long break - maybe never!” she said.

Sindhu said that she has not played badminton in this break. “I just do some exercises whenever I can. I have some equipment at home so I train for an hour-and-a-half; maybe do some jumps, some shadow movements or things like that,” she said.

“Being confined to home is fine, except that you cannot do anything, which can get a bit boring. I don’t do much household chores but I make sure I help my mom in the kitchen.”

India is currently under a three-week lockdown until April 14 but Sindhu feels that the rate at which the number of infected cases are going up, she expects the lockdown to be extended.

Indo-Asian News service